Casting Call Friday - Looking for Alaska by John Green

This week's CCF session is about John Green's Printz Award winning novel, Looking for Alaska. 

Story Summary (via Goodreads) Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave "the Great Perhaps" even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then . . . After. Nothing is ever the same.

After finishing Looking for Alaska, I finally understand why John Green is so popular among the YA lit crowd. He writes brilliant stories, and he writes them very well. I was most impressed with how economically composed this book was; all the details, big or small, worked toward the cohesive whole and nothing was insignificant or excessive. It was a great great book!

OK, let's check out the cast I picked for this one:

Miles “Pudge” Halter is the story’s narrator and main character. He is a skinny and tall. He isn’t into sports and is more awkward than popular. His is also obsessed with famous people’s last words.


Casting Callback: Logan Lerman - Logan Lerman embodies that look of innocence and naivete, and i really don't think there is anyone out there with a face more suited for the character of Miles.



Alaska Young is described as an adolescent boy’s dream girl. She is flirtatious, confident and beautiful (curvy with long dark hair). She is also very bright, but a dark past haunts her throughout the story. In short, Alaska is fun but very internally conflicted.

Casting Callback: Kaya Scodelario - I don't think you can get much more beautiful than Kaya Scodelario. She is a really good actress too, which is vital to playing someone as prone to mood swings as Alaska Young. 


Chip “The Colonel” Martin is Pudge’s roommate. He is described as short and very muscular. He is very smart and confident and often assumes a leadership role when dealing with Miles and all their other friends.

Casting Callback: Josh Hutchenson - Josh is one of those actors that does brilliantly in the supporting character role category. He is also the right height (which is important) and the comedic sense he displays on screen is just right for The Colonel.

 
Takumi Hikohito is Miles’s friends. He has Japanese origins. He is musically inclined and loves to rap.

Casting Callback: Justin Chon - OK, I'll admit that I'm not very familiar many young actors who have Asian backgrounds. Justin Chon made a really good impression on me as Eric in the Twilight movies. And although Justin is older (almost 30), I think he can pull off one more high school role.


Lara Buterskaya is Mile’s classmate and short-lived romantic interest. She is a Romanian immigrant and has a thick Eastern European accent. She is described as very good looking but quiet.

Casting Callback: Anna Popplewell - Anna is actually from English, but i still think she has some Eastern European features in her face. She is really pretty and scores very high in her acting abilities too.




Note: Paramount has already bought the movie rights to Looking for Alaska. This project is set to be completed in 2013.